UAE achieves 62% hotel occupancy rate in H1 2021

UAE achieves 62% hotel occupancy rate in H1 2021

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s tourism sector recorded 62% occupancy rate in H1-2021, outperforming 10 other major global tourism destinations including China (54%), United States of America (45%), Mexico (38%), the United Kingdom (37%), and Turkey (36%). The country’s hotel and tourism establishments attracted nearly 8.3 million guests during this period, recording 15% growth compared to that of H1-2020. During the reference period, guests spent nearly 35 million nights in the UAE hotels reflecting a growth of 30%, while the average length of their stay increased to 4.1 nights at a 12.5% growth. This's accompanied by a 31% growth in hotel establishments’ revenues to reach AED11.3 billion. Domestic tourism accounted for 30% of the total number of guests at these hotel establishments. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Chairman of the Emirates Tourism Council, affirmed that the positive results achieved by the tourism sector in the first half of this year reflect the soundness of the vision and directives of the wise leadership on the importance of the tourism sector as a major driver of the economy. They highlight the strength and flexibility of the national tourism sector, the development of the UAE’s tourism